Fill 'er up...a second time

Today was Fill #2. Unfortunately I felt the loss immediately..in my wallet that is...$100 lighter.

I was excited to go in for my adjustment since I have felt minimum restriction. This means that my stomach still has a larger opening than ideal. The goal is to hit my "sweet spot" which will limit portion sizes and give off the feeling of be satiated.

The process begins with P.A. Gabe inserting a needle into the port and withdrawing all the fluids in the band. This way he can see if there is a leak and then putting that back plus adding some saline. I have a 14cc band and had 6.5cc already in it. (A little goes in at time of surgery and then a bit more at first fill.) Gabe was adding 1.5 cc to bring it to a total of 8 cc. The sweet spot supposedly is between 7-9 for some and 8-10 for others. Some need more - hoping I'm not falling in that category.

While in the waiting room I filled out some paperwork prior to the fill and wrote that I'm not doing too well with water. I explained to Gabe that I'm not so thirsty but need to make a conscious effort to drink much more. Glad I didn't lie about that since when he checked my level, he saw that I had lost some saline - about 1.5 cc. He explained that this is because my body is absorbing fluid from wherever it can. I had not idea that the band was permeable.

I do feel that this is tighter today but won't know more until I eat on Sunday. Fluids only for today and tomorrow. I even tried a cracker with peanut butter and nearly choked after 1.5 crackers. What happens is that your nose starts running which is the first sign to stop eating. Your body produces mucous as a defense mechanism to rid the body of a foreign object. Again stop eating and spit out whatever is in your mouth. The feeling is not that you are choking for air but that a golf ball is stuck at the stomach opening and no matter how many times you burp it won't go down. Extremely uncomfortable!! Some old habits die fast...and I am back on fluids wholeheartedly.

My weight is down a few pounds since my last fill four weeks earlier but only a few. I've by passed my lowest and am on track again. I'll let you know when I hit the "80s."

Going to enjoy a nice cold glass of water. Until the next post!